Capcom showcases Lost Planet 2

Aharon Etengoff, 10th January 2010

Capcom offered TG Daily a sneak peek of the latest Lost Planet 2 build at a special CES 2010 demo held in the swanky Planet Hollywood hotel.

The game features 6 new episodes, each with multiple characters and progressive environments that include detailed cities, lush jungles, arid deserts and misty swamps.

According to Capcom spokesperson Shawn Baxter, Lost Planet 2 is primarily a "story driven" game.

"The story for LP2 was written by Hosokawa San, while the title was produced by Jun Takeuchi of Resident Evil 5 fame and directed by Kenji Oguro. However, I would like to note that the storyboarding and game creation process was very much influenced by fan feedback from the original Lost Planet," Baxter told TG Daily.

"For example, we understood that features such as multiplayer capabilities and bigger, tougher bosses were extremely important to LP players. So, Capcom introduced extensive multiplayer options, including an incorporated battle gauge along with other methods - such as resource sharing and precise customization - of tweaking the online experience.

"Lost Planet 2 offers four-player co-op action, where gamers team up to battle the giant Akrid. Teamwork is the player's key to victory as the team is dependent on each other to succeed and survive."

Baxter also explained that LP2 features an improved AI and upgraded proprietary engine.

"The original Lost Planet was powered by our proprietary MT framework 1 engine. The engine was upgraded to 1.5 for Resident Evil 5, while LP2 leverages the latest 2.0 iteration. Capcom dedicated an entire team just to develop and improve the MT engine. We can now render extremely high resolution textures, such as realistic water ripples and grass that accurately reacts to the stomping feet of characters and bosses.

"We also created impressive AI partners [or bots]. If gamers don't feel like going online, they can just as easily play LP2 with their virtual teammates (up to 4), which can be inserted into the game at any point."

He added that Hosokawa and Takeuchi had paid close attention to detail, thereby creating both a realistic sci-fi and military experience.

"Planet 2 offers a large variety of hardware for players to unleash on unsuspecting enemies. Machine guns, shotguns, rocket launchers, lasers, sniper rifles, grenades and a host of other weapons are scattered across the game. Players will also utilize teamwork tactics to fight improved, larger-than-life bosses.

"However, Lost Planet 2's biggest weapons come on two legs: the heavily armed and armored robotic Vital Suits return in greater numbers and variety than the first game. There are VS that transform into other vehicles, hold up to three players and some that even take multiple players to operate."

Baxter confirmed that Lost Planet 2 will be released sometime in 2010 for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 platforms.

"Work on the game began in 2007. We are now at the stage of striving to make the game perfect by extensive debugging and tweaking. Capcom wants the title to appeal to a wide audience, so that is why we are planning a simultaneous PS3 and Xbox 360 release. However, as of now, there are no plans for a PC build."